Convoy HX 61 - warsailors.com

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CONVOY HX 61
(Will be updated - please compare with A. Hague's listing for this convoy at ships in all HX convoys. See also HX escorts).

Departed Halifax on July 27-1940 arrived Liverpool on Aug. 11.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 45 ships in this convoy.

Transcribed from several documents received from Roger Griffiths (A 1 forms and Advance Sailing Telegram) - His source: Public Records Office, Kew. ~~Crossed out~~ ships did not sail. MOWT = Ministry of War Transport
Ship	Nationality	Cargo	Station	Destination	Remarks
Bermuda Section - Sailed July 26 -1940 Escorted by HMS Rajputana
~~Belita~~	Norwegian	Tanker B	–	–	To Halifax to await orders See also HX 66 (Sailed in HX 67)
Cape Clear	British	lumber - metal	45	Sunderland	(later dropped astern)
~~Capulet~~	British	Ad. Tanker B	–	Clyde	Sailed in HX 62
Dordrecht	Dutch	lub. oil	25	Grangemouth	–
Grelrosa	British	sugar	36	Liverpool	–
Hannington Court	"	lead - wheat - lumber	65	Glasgow	From HX 60
~~Jamaica Progress~~	"	bananas	–	Avonmouth	Sunk - see Notes
Lise	Norwegian	fuel oil - diesel oil	46	Swansea	–
Maaskerk	Dutch	sugar	56	Clyde for London	–
Maja	British	fuel - diesel oil	15	Jarrow	From HX 60
~~Prince de Liege~~	Belgian / MOWT 1940	general	–	London	From HX 60 Sailed in HX 62
~~San Cirilo~~	British	Tanker W	–	–	To Halifax to await orders (does not show up again on this site until HX 81)
San Gabriel	Greek	general	55	Liverpool	–
Wanderer	British	steel - cotton - special	35	Liverpool	–
~~Wellington Court~~	"	grain - lumber	–	London	From HX 60 Sailed in HX 62
Commodore says that 8 ships from Bermuda joined the 36 ships in the Halifax section at noon on Aug. 8(?), Grelrosa was missing at rendezvous point. Note that Botwey, listed in the Halifax section below, was cancelled from the Bermuda portion of the previous convoy, HX 60.
Halifax Section - Sailed July 27 - 1940
Opalia	British	gas oil	71	Manchester	See also HX 57
Carras	Greek	grain	53	Avonmouth	From HX 60
Leikanger	Norwegian	pit props	32	Hull	From HX 60
Patia	British	general	61	Liverpool	From HX 60
Winterswijk	Dutch	pit props	13	West Hartlepool	From HX 60
Bretwalda	British	pit props	11	Hull	–
Rudby	"	iron ore	43	Glasgow	–
~~Belray~~	Norwegian	machinery	–	Birkenhead	Sailed in HX 62
Boston City	British	general - special	81	Milford Haven	Milford Haven Commodore
~~Dunelmia~~	"	grain	92	Cardiff	Sailed in HX 62
Goolistan	"	grain	22	London	–
Gyda	" (Ex Da)	general	63	Manchester	–
~~Mercier~~	Belgian	grain - steel	–	Liverpool	Sailed in HX 62
Parthenia	British	general	41	Glasgow	Clyde Commodore
Bristol City	"	general - special	91	Cardiff	From HX 60
Saint Dunstan	"	iron - steel	44	Glasgow	–
Trompenberg	Dutch	pit props	54	Hull	–
~~Yearby~~	British	grain	–	London	Sailed in HX 62
Zypenberg	Dutch	steel - scrap iron	83	Cardiff	–
~~Barrington Court~~	British	grain	–	London	Sailed in HX 62
Botwey	"	sulphur	72	Manchester	From (B)HX 60
~~Dagfred~~	Norwegian	pig iron	–	River Mersey	To HX 62 - did not sail To HX 63 - did not sail To HX 64 - did not sail Did not get away till HX 76 (see Dagfred)
~~Malvernian~~	British	general	–	Belfast/Hull	Sailed in HX 62
Medon	"	general	52	Liverpool	–
~~Lindenhall~~	"	grain	–	London	Sailed in HX 62
Marathon	Greek	grain	62	Liverpool	–
Mabriton	British	steel - lumber	31	Newcastle	From HX 60
Nestos	Greek	scrap iron	82	Swansea	From HX 60
Tolosa	American / MOWT 1940	pig iron	42	Glasgow	(Renamed Empire Dorado) From HX 60 Ordered to return to Halifax To HX 63 - did not sail To HX 64 - did not sail See also HX 65 & HX 66 (Sailed in HX 67)
Erviken	Norwegian	steel	93	Swansea	From HX 60
Lancastrian Prince	British	general	51	Garston	–
Marionga	Greek	grain	73	Liverpool	From HX 60
~~Tilemachos~~	"	scrap iron	–	Ardrossan	Sailed in HX 62
Baron Blythswood	British	iron ore	12	Newcastle	–
~~Stratford~~	"	Tanker	–	–	Sailed in HX 62
Blairdevon	"	pit props	23	West Hartlepool	–
~~Bradfyne~~	"	steel - lumber	–	Immingham	Sailed in HX 62
Snefjeld	Norwegian	pit props	–	Mersey	–
Lily	Greek	scrap iron	74	Swansea	–
Florian	British	general	21	Hull	–
~~Wallsend~~	"	iron ore	–	Port Talbot	Sailed in HX 62
~~Harpefjell~~	Norwegian	general	–	London	Sailed in HX 62
Grainton	British	grain	–	Avonmouth	–
Baron Pentland	"	steel - lumber	33	Grimsby	From HX 60
San Conrado	"	gas. kerosene	34	Clyde	See also HX 56
Ioannis M. Embiricos	Greek	lumber	A 44	Glasgow	From Sydney, C.B.?
Hindsholm	British (Ex Da)	lumber	–	Blyth	dropped astern
Ramava	Latvian	lumber	84	Dublin	dropped astern
Troubadour	Norwegian	grain - lumber	94	Belfast	From HX 60

Notes:
Commodore, Vice Admiral Hill was in Patia (Captain A. G.? Jones), Vice Commodore in Florian.
Milford Haven Commodore: In Boston City.
Clyde Commodore: In Parthenia.

Average speed: 8.5 knots.

Commodore says station keeping was very bad during the first week (owing chiefly to the presence of several foreigners), improved till very good last 4 days.

Tolosa was ordered to return to Halifax by ocean escort - date, position and reason illegible.

The Latvian Ramava is said to have broken W.T. silence twice (date illegible), attempting to establish contact with an American radio station - name illegible, looks like Arragansett or similar. The Commodore adds that she would not do 8.5 knots in smooth water - reason unknown. She dropped astern, last seen on July 30(?).

Hindsholm and Cape Clear also dropped astern, date last seen is illegible, looks like Aug. 8 for Hindsholm.

From what I can decipher of his tiny handwriting, it appears the Commodore is very happy with Opalia, Marathon, Lancastrian Prince, Bristol City and Wanderer when it comes to signalling. The captain's name for each ship is given, but all are illegible.

Jamaica Progress (crossed out on Advance Sailing Telegram for HX 61), on a voyage from Kingston, Jamaica for Holyhead with 2100 tons bananas, 74 cases citrus fruits, and 5 tons of coconuts, was sunk on July 30 (or 31, depending on time zone used) by U-99. She had a crew of 48, 2 gunners and 4 passengers - 6 crew and 1 gunner perished. (Lloy'ds War Losses", Vol I, and "Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", J. Rohwer).

The Commodore's handwritten notes are next to impossible to decipher, but names of escorts look like:
Ottawa, Anthony, Achates, Viscount, Deptford, Vanguisher, Mallow and Restigouche. Sagueney is also mentioned.
Ocean Escort was HMS Laconia - met outside Halifax, parted company on Aug. 8? (position illegible).
Air escort: Met outside Halifax - last sighted in the afternoon of July 28 (position illegible). Air escort again in the morning of Aug. 8.

Related external link:
The attack on Jamaica Progress

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